St. Olaf Prospect Camp: Top QBs/Kickers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Earlier Saturday morning, I drove down to Northfield, home of MIAC staple St. Olaf, to attend their second annual prospect camp. I found just under 60 kids roaring to compete, and boy, was I impressed. There was a ton of underrated talent spread across all positions on both sides of the ball. The QB crop was strong, and the sole kicker/punter on the day also balled out!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1615388"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6820c22c89099"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A QB who has received a ton of attention from MIAC schools, <strong>Bobholz </strong>impressed me with his ability to rip quick short-level balls into wideouts' hands. He's consistently tested among the best QBs at all the camps he's attended, and when you ask him to uncork his arm, Bobholz can let the ball sail. When he hits his stride and finds a rhythm, <strong>Bobholz </strong>is a force to be reckoned with in the pocket. A big senior year could be loading for the Mankato West product.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1550371"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6820c22c89109"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">If I had to name a camp MVP, it would be Braham's own <strong>Lidke</strong>. The owner of the fastest 40 time among all QBs, as well as the best broad jump (nearly 9 feet), <strong>Lidke </strong>also showed out during the competition portions of the camp. Possessing a phenomenal pocket passing frame and a big arm, he can stretch the field as well as any QB in the state. He can also put enough mustard on short passes, but also puts enough touch on his mid-level passes to perfectly float them into a wideout's hands. I'm a big fan of <strong>Lidke's </strong>game, and I'm psyched to see what he's going to do during his senior campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1565881"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6820c22c8915c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the best QBs out of the Twin Cities metro area, <strong>Backhaus </strong>is a well-rounded gunslinger who can make plays with his arm and his legs. He showed off by excelling at making quick reads and getting the ball out fast on RPOs during drills. He's got a quick shot put-esque release and does a fantastic job of finding zone soft spots, as well as leading wideouts on shorter passes. This is one of a handful of camps where <strong>Backhaus </strong>has performed well, and it'll be any day now we see his recruiting take off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1652586"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6820c22c891a7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The lone 2027 QB represented this weekend, I've seen <strong>Mastel </strong>play a handful of times, but never as well as he did on Saturday. His deep ball is insane, and the touch that he's able to put on back shoulder floaters is very high level. The dude can launch bombs, and I love the confidence he plays with in the pocket. His deep balls don't lack velo either, so there isn't a ton of worry with an athletic safety lurking over the top to pick him off. The Rogers QB room is a talented one, and I'm a big fan of <strong>Mastel's </strong>upside going forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["743253"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6820c22c891ee"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The overall best tester from this crop of QBs, <strong>Johnson </strong>has evolved into one of my favorite QBs in the state. A well-rounded athlete with a talented arm, I've seen <strong>Johnson </strong>perform in person dozens of times, and he's consistently one of the top QBs at every camp he goes to. He throws one of the best balls out of any 2026 QB across all metrics, and it blows me away that he hasn't amassed more recruiting attention. His ball placement, especially on intermediate to deep routes, is phenomenal, and I can't wait to see how he balls out this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1643370"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6820c22c89235"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The sole QB representative of the 2028 class I saw on Saturday, <strong>Drake</strong>, stood out as an athlete who is far further along in his development as a QB than most kids in his class. Hailing from a run-dominant system, <strong>Drake </strong>touts a smooth release and flashes high-level ball placement across all levels of the field. At his best, <strong>Drake </strong>will hit excellent back-shoulder fades with the ball placed just outside of the defender's reach, while also leading the receiver perfectly. <strong>Drake </strong>has a few years of development before he reaches the varsity level, but by the time he gets there, he's going to be a prospect that should turn a lot of heads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Eoghan Heaslip","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"150","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2441","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Barnum","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6820c22c892ef"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The sole kicker/punter of the camp, <strong>Heaslip</strong>, put up an impressive performance today. He had two punts over 35 yards, but the hang time he was able to achieve was the most eye-catching. He was routinely able to hit 4 seconds of hangtime and had a camp best of 4.75 seconds. He also hit a number of field goals in a row, ending with a ray beam of a kick he was able to hit from 40 yards. <strong>Heaslip </strong>is a small town gem of a kicker who needs more attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->